A couple from Florida is being charged with child neglect after police reportedly discovered their three children living in a home with unsanitary conditions, including layers of feces and piles of rat droppings.
Florida authorities began their investigation after a reported car accident involving 38-year-old Michelle Sofia and her boyfriend, 41-year-old Willie London. They called the Bunnell Police Department to report that their 11-year-old child had been hit by a car while skateboarding. However, the driver of the car disputed their claims, and surveillance footage supported his account.
As officers were preparing to issue an arrest warrant for a false police report, they were called back to the couple’s home the following day due to an argument between Sofia and a neighbor. Upon entering the home, the officers were shocked by the deplorable conditions they found. They described layers of dirt, piles of soiled clothing, feces, and rat droppings throughout the house.
The investigation revealed that the home had three refrigerators, two of which were inoperable and filled with moldy food and bugs. The third refrigerator contained only condiments, and the kitchen was littered with dirty dishes and cockroaches. The children, aged 11, 12, and 17, were living in squalor, with one sleeping on a thin mattress without sheets and another without any bedding at all.
The toilet was filled with feces, and there was no running water in the home.
When questioned about the condition of the home, Sofia reportedly downplayed the severity of the situation. The children informed the police that they had not bathed in two days, and London admitted that they had to go to a friend’s house or a park to bathe due to the lack of water.
The Florida Department of Children and Families intervened and removed the children from the home. Sofia and London were arrested on charges of child neglect and filing a false crash report.
They are currently being held without bond at the Flagler County Jail.
